The Quiz on Hydrogen-powered Vehicles

Hydrogen-powered vehicles may be the wave of the future. The first element in the periodic table is being used in a variety of fuel cell vehicles, one of which is already cruising the streets. Test your knowledge of this extremely light, clean-burning fuel source with the hydrogen-powered vehicle quiz.

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Question 1 of 10

What percentage of the universe is made up of hydrogen?

50 percent

60 percent

75 percent

Although there's little pure hydrogen on the Earth's surface, the universe we live in is made up of about 75 percent hydrogen.

Question 2 of 10

Which of the following is not a method of producing pure hydrogen?

removal from water through electrolysis

extraction from animal fat

Some of the more common methods include extracting hydrogen from natural gas, removing it from water through electrolysis or producing it from algae.

extraction from natural gas

Question 3 of 10

What are the byproducts of a hydrogen fuel cell?

oxygen and hydrogen

heat and water

No carbon emissions are produced when electricity is generated in a hydrogen fuel cell -- only heat and water.

water and carbon

Question 4 of 10

A fuel cell utilizes what percentage of the available energy in hydrogen?

What's the price of one kilowatt of electricity produced from current fuel cells?

$50

$225

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that current generation fuel cells produce electricity at a price of approximately $225 per kilowatt. Prices will need to drop to about $30 per kilowatt before hydrogen is competitive with gasoline as a fuel. The National Research Council predicts that the cost of the hydrogen itself, measured on a per mile basis, could end up being almost 50 percent lower than the current cost of gasoline.

$400

Question 6 of 10

Many of the methods currently used to extract hydrogen from larger molecules rely on:

heat

bacteria

electricity

The fact that many current hydrogen extraction methods require electricity is the primary obstacle to a hydrogen economy. Electricity is generated largely by methods that create pollution.

Question 7 of 10

Why is storage a problem for hydrogen fuel?

it takes up large amounts of space

it loses efficiency over time

it evaporates readily

Since hydrogen fuel is stored in compressed liquid form, over time some of it escapes through evaporation. Getting hydrogen into that liquid form also requires a great deal of energy.

Question 8 of 10

What might liquid hydrogen do to your skin upon contact?

cause a rash

cause frostbite

Liquefied hydrogen is extremely cold and contact with skin can cause severe frostbite.

cause a lesion

Question 9 of 10

What color are hydrogen flames?

blue

orange

nearly invisible

Hydrogen flames are nearly invisible, so when hydrogen catches fire the flames are hard to avoid and hard to fight.

Question 10 of 10

Despite the potential dangers of hydrogen as a fuel source, why does it pose relatively low risk?

it's expensive

it's light

Due to its lightness, hydrogen gas disperses rapidly into the surrounding air and poses less of a risk.